GOETZ: K-5 von Stein Death Medal

[Bronzemonger]

K-5 Von Stein, Archbishop of Munich, 1909, Cast bronze, 50.10mm, 55.3g. Gussfrisch

This medal was created to commemorate the death of the Archbishop.

Obverse: Von Stein bust 3/4 right within a wreathed border. Inscription along the inside edge of the wreath reads: Dr FRANZ-JOS-v.STEIN-ERZBISCHOF v.MÜNCHEN

Reverse: Wreathed border with the inscription; ZUM-GEDÄCHTNIS SEINES TODESTAGES (In commemoration of his day of death, in left field 4./MAI/1909) Madonna stands behind putto which is holding the archbishop's hat in his right hand and the pastoral staff in his left. Two shields in foreground, left, with mountain and two stars; right, with crowned bust, left.

Does anyone understand the significance of the symbols on the shields? Goetz uses the same elements on his K-4 medal varieties which all pertain to von Stein too...could these be elements of a family crest?

1600px X 800px Hi-res Image

[ externes Bild ]

[research]

Hello Goetzdude,

I have just opened a thread in the German "Heraldik Forum".

http://heraldik-wappen.de/viewtopic.php?p=32603#32603

Some time ago they have been very cooperative to solve another question.

Mit bestem Gruß
RESEARCH
Homepage über Kunstmedaillen

[research]

I have never received in such a short time the requested answer from a forum.
The left side is the family crest (Stein = Rock), the right side the "Freisinger Mohr" = "Freising African". Von Stein was Cardinal of München-Freising. It was the coat of arms of the bishops of Freising.
Due to the racialist background of this coat of arms, it has been removed nearly everywhere in Freising:
http://www.die-tagespost.de/Archiv/tite ... sp?ID=3301

Mit bestem Gruß
RESEARCH
Homepage über Kunstmedaillen

[Bronzemonger]

Thank you so much 'Research'! Not knowing the German language, I would have never found out about the Mohr motif without your help. This appears to be a very interesting historic story which bolsters my reasons for collecting medals in the first place.

Thank you again!! HSG

[Zwerg]

Here are the arms of Pope Benedikt XVI., he was bishop of Freising, too - and fears not "political correctness"

Grüße
Zwerg

[antoninus1]

"Due to the racialist background of this coat of arms, it has been removed nearly everywhere in Freising: "

As the text says, this happened in 1802 and the reason was not a racist background but that the now, by the grace of Napoleon, ruling Wittelsbachers wanted to remove the symbols of the abolished clerical sovereignty from the public.

Nowadays you can still find the coat of arms with blackamoor and Korbinian´s bear in many public places and buildings as it is still the arms of the archbishop of München-Freising and belongs to the logo (as they say) of his administration (Ordinariat).

[research]

Antonius,

Thanks a lot for your corrections.

Mit bestem Gruß
RESEARCH
Homepage über Kunstmedaillen

[antoninus1]

I just noticed a detail on the medal:
Götz writes "Erzbischof von München" which is not correct.
The title is Erzbischof von München und Freising.

In 1821 the seed of the bishop was moved from Freising to Munich and as a compensation for this loss the new diocese was called "München und Freising" which is still very important for the people of Freising today.

They are especially sensitive if one considers that in the aftermath of the secularisation the Bavarian king not only moved the seed to Munich but also took away the altarpiece which was an original painting of Peter Paul Rubens.
This was really a great loss for the Freising cathedral
The painting can be seen today at the Old Pinakothek in Munich.

[Bronzemonger]

I am not surprised of the 'mistake' as Goetz was quite prone to making them, however, it may have been him taking artistic license since the additional 'und Freising' would not have fit without reducing all the text to accomodate the addition.